Abstract

The paper applies the theory of ethnic enclave economy to analyze how Chinese immigrants in Tucson engaged in their economic activities in spatial distribution, industry structure, financing, and employment sources during The Chinese Exclusion Act period. Chinese immigrants were mainly engaged in grocery, restaurants, and other business activities in Tucson. Their business activities show a high degree of concentration in terms of spatial distribution, initially in the traditional “Chinatown” area, then to the southwest of Tucson, spreading out inside the Mexican neighborhood. The predominantly Mexican demographic composition in Tucson significantly impacts the Chinese business environment and their daily life, partly explaining the spatial and industrial characteristics of Chinese business. Capital, labor, and other production factors of the Chinese business mainly came from within clan or the ethnic group, which constitutes another feature of Chinese ethnic enclave economy. As the efforts of Chinese immigrants to pool their money into grocery stores and restaurants in order to gain merchant status, the adaptive strategic responses of Chinese immigrants to the Chinese Exclusion Act, promote the rapid growth of Chinese stores in Tucson.

Keywords: Tucson, Enclave Economy, Chinese Stories, Mexican Community, Immigration, United States, Southwest

How to Cite:

Pei, Y., (2025) “A Study on the Enclave Economy of Chinese Immigrants in Tucson during 1880s-1940s”, Footnotes: A Journal of History 7, 131-138.